EP0869338B1 - Dosing container - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispensing container has a suction tube (48) within the container and supports (12,16) for orienting the container (10) in at least two preset positions. In the first position, the volume of the container under the tube is larger than in the second position. Alternatively, an inlet opening of the tube can be placed in at least two preset positions. In a first of these positions, the partial volume under the tube inlet is larger than in the second position. The container can be supported in the alternative positions by two support faces (12,16).

Description

The invention relates to a container for pouring predetermined volumes of liquid with a guided into the container interior immersion tube.

Container with dip tubes for discharging the liquid contained therein are known in the form of spray container for window cleaning agent and the like per se. With them, the dip tube extends to the bottom wall in order to empty the container completely. A screwed onto a container neck dispenser to which the dip tube leads, has a user-operable pump, which sucks for each actuation stroke by their displacement predetermined volume of liquid from the container interior and emits. These fluid volumes range from fractions of a milliliter to a few milliliters.

At one in the FR 595 635 A disclosed container to adjust the discharge amount, the orientation of the dip tube is changed to the container. The container itself is stored the same for the different withdrawals.

For a container after the EP 0 657 382 A is a valve which controls the liquid discharge from the container.

According to the EP 0 118 217 A a tiltable intermediate container is provided, which has the shape of a circular sector, at the lowest end of an outlet conduit is attached. Depending on the angular position of this sector-shaped container is more or less liquid discharged into an outlet.

The EP 0 316 636 A2 shows a liquid container which has no dip tube but a lying at the center of its bottom surface outlet. This allows you to let the container completely idle in a vertical orientation, while he can only empty half when putting on a long side.

The DE-1 075 967 B shows a container with an attached dosing. By repeatedly tilting the dosing can be filled first and then emptied.

At one in the US 5,292,039 described container, the measurement of the liquid is carried out using an attached metering container, which is filled using a valve.

For some applications, it is now necessary to dispense larger predetermined volumes of liquid from a container, typically ranging between fractions of a liter and a few liters. When using the container described above with a hand-operated small dosing pump but this would require a very large number of actuations of the pump. To avoid this, one could in principle use a timed electric dosing pump. Such pumps are expensive.

By the present invention, therefore, a container according to the preamble of claim 1 or 3 should be developed so that predetermined volumes in the range from a fraction of a liter up to several liters quickly and can be precisely discharged from the container, the container but a total of a low-priced part.

This object is achieved by a container with the features specified in claim 1 and 3 features.

In the container according to the invention can be set different relative positions between the end of the dip tube and the mirror of the liquid in the container. According to these different relative positions, different predetermined amounts of liquid can be dispensed from the container, which are predetermined by the fact that the end of the dip tube emerges from the liquid level, which occurs in the different relative positions between the dip tube end and liquid level at different residual liquid quantities in the container.

The realization of such different relative positions between the dip tube end and mirror of the liquid in the container can be realized with simple constructive measures on the container or on its attachment. The resulting costs are low, especially in mass production of the container as a plastic part.

The shaping of a container according to the invention can be realized in a simple way by appropriate design of the production form in today mass production methods for both metal containers and plastic containers. Here you can realize according to claim 1 practically no additional costs more suitable as a floor space walls, the optional, usually in a predetermined order as a container-footprint be used.

The embodiment of the invention according to claim 3 is preferred for those applications in which no horizontal footprint is available for the container. A cooperating with the suspension of the container support structure (if necessary, the fingers of a user) can be found everywhere. Due to the fact that the center of gravity of the container, which is completely or only partially filled, is placed under the respectively selected suspension point, the associated respective relative position is set between the dip tube end and the liquid level.

Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in subclaims.

In this case, the specified in claim 2 choice of different floor space, which include a right angle with each other substantially, in terms of compact shape and clear distinction of the different footprint of advantage.

The development of the invention according to claim 5 is in view of a further improvement of the application of residual liquid through the dip tube advantage.

The development of the invention according to claim 6 makes it possible to connect different consumers via different connecting lines, in particular those of different diameters, with the container.

The development of the invention according to claim 7 is advantageous in terms of ease of manufacture of the container. The actual container has simple geometry and can be manufactured inexpensively according to the known production methods, in particular blow molding. The tap head, which has more filigree geometry and optionally also must be provided with fittings for connecting consumers, is a separate container part and can be made, for example by injection molding of a harder plastic material.

In a container according to claim 9, the fittings for connecting the consumer are covered to the outside and thus protected against unintentional release of the connection. When the lid is closed, they are protected against contamination even if the container is not used for a long time.

The development of the invention according to claim 10 is advantageous in terms of inexpensive production of a closable by a lid tap head.

In a container according to claim 12 is a constant pressure equalization during emptying. Thus, the container itself does not need to be made of very rigid material, and yet it is ensured that exactly the desired liquid volumes are delivered.

A container according to claim 13 has clearly recognizable different footprint areas; the other walls of the container are shaped so that they can not recognize serve as a base.

The development of the invention according to claim 14 facilitates the carrying and positioning of a container and emphasizes once again the function of the footprint.

Figur 1:

eine seitliche Ansicht eines Behälters zum Abgeben zweier gleicher Flüssigkeitsvolumina;

Figur 2:

eine Aufsicht auf den in Figur 1 gezeigten Behälter von links;

Figur 3:

einen axialen Schnitt durch einen aufgeschraubten Zapfkopf des Behälters nach den Figuren 1 und 2 mit über ein Filmscharnier angelenktem Deckel, gezeigt im geöffneten Zustand;

Figur 4:

eine Aufsicht auf den in Figur 3 gezeigten Zapfkopf; und

Figuren 5 bis 7:

ähnliche Ansichten wie Figur 1, in welchen jedoch abgewandelte Behälter wiedergegeben sind.

The invention will be explained in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing. In this different dosing bottles are shown as if their walls were made of transparent material. Show it:

FIG. 1:

a side view of a container for dispensing two equal volumes of liquid;

FIG. 2:

a supervision on the in FIG. 1 shown container from the left;

FIG. 3:

an axial section through a screwed tap head of the container after the FIGS. 1 and 2 with a hinge hinged lid, shown in the open state;

FIG. 4:

a supervision on the in FIG. 3 shown dispensing head; and

FIGS. 5 to 7:

similar views as FIG. 1 in which, however, modified containers are reproduced.

The FIGS. 1 and 2 The end wall 14 is about one third longer than the bottom wall 12. The two ends of these walls extending substantially perpendicular to each other are represented by a in the view of FIG. 1 approximately quarter-elliptical rear wall 16 connected to each other. The bottle part formed by the aforementioned walls is closed by two side walls 18, 20 which are symmetrical to the median plane of the bottle body. These are flat in an upper wall portion 22 and in one bottom wall portion 24 bulged like a bulb.

The rear wall 16 carries in its upper third a threaded connector 26. On these a 28 designated in total Zapf and closure member is screwed. The latter has a cylindrical peripheral wall 30, on which a film hinge 32 with two hinge portions 34, 36 (see. FIG. 3 ) is hinged a lid 38.

A transverse support wall 40 of the dispensing and closure member 28 carries, as in particular from the Figures 3 and 4 can be seen, three circumferentially equally distributed connecting pieces 40, 42, 44. The connecting pieces 40 and 42 are arranged symmetrically to the median plane of the dispensing and closure member 28 and are stepped rotating body. The connection piece 44 has a plurality of ribs 46 which are distributed regularly in the radial direction and are distributed around the nozzle axis.

In guided under the support wall 40 ends of the connecting pieces 40, 42, 44, three dip tubes are used, of which the dip tubes 48, 50 in the FIG. 1 are visible. The lower ends of the dip tubes are open and summarized by an olive 52.

Furthermore, two diametrically opposed ventilation openings 54 are provided in the support wall 40.

The shape and length of the dip tubes is chosen so that the olive 52 engages in a sloping groove 56 which is incorporated in the end wall 14. Below the channel 56, the end wall 14 carries a baseboard 58 which is slightly higher than the channel 56.

Im in FIG. 1 right section of the bottle body 10, a punch-through opening 60 is provided, which defines a handle 62 together with the rear wall 16.

On the end wall 14 two markings 64, 66 are given, which dictate the liquid level when filled with one liter or two liters of liquid.

If you fill the container described above to 2 1 mark and then closes a suction hose to one of the connecting pieces 40, 42, 44, so you can empty the liquid in the bottle body 10 to the lower ends of the dip tubes. This end of the dip tubes is at the 1 1 mark.

From the bottle you can then suck exactly another liter of liquid, if you put the bottle instead of the bottom wall 12 on the end wall 14. The lower ends of the dip tubes are then down in the remaining volume in the bottle body 10 volume of liquid, and you can suck by sucking on one of the connecting pieces 40, 42, 44, the rest of the liquid from the bottle body.

Thus, without visual control, when emptying the metering bottle, two precisely predetermined volumes of liquid are dispensed.

It is understood that one can vary the embodiment described above variously to aspirate more than two liquid volumes can. For this you only need to give the bottle body a correspondingly larger number of floor space. So you can, for example, one or both of the side walls 18, 20 form flat running, so that these walls come as a stand surfaces in question. The dip tubes are then bent so that their end has a different distance from the two side walls 18, 20. Also, one can replace the curved rear wall 16 by a straight wall. Finally, you can even at the transition between the bottom wall and end wall 14 still provide a larger straight-wall, which is inclined at 45 ° to the bottom wall 12, for example.

It is only important that one creates a plurality of predetermined defined positions for the bottle body, in which then the ends of the dip tubes are so that remain below them different residual liquid volumes.

With a container as described above, different predetermined volumes of liquid may also be withdrawn, e.g. skips a standing space associated with an average residual volume and continues immediately to the next or last floor space. Also in this case, the delivery of predetermined amounts of liquid is obtained without visual control.

For use in places where defined footprint for the bottle body are not available, can be provided on the bottle body 10 suspension tabs on which suspended the bottle body together with the liquid in it under gravity enters a predetermined position.

At the in FIG. 5 illustrated embodiment, which incidentally the one after the Figures 1-4 For this purpose, two suspension straps 68, 70 are additionally provided in the upper region of the rear wall 16 and in the region of the rear wall 16 located at the bottom right, each having an opening 72 to which they can be hung on. The Aufhängelasche 70 is also not rotatably connected via a bending portion 74 with the bottle body 10, so that you can take the Aufhängelasche 70 with your fingers and the bottle body can settle in spite of surface contact with the fingers so that the focus under the Bending section 74 is located.

According to the embodiment FIG. 5 is the location of the suspension tabs 68, 70 chosen so that the bottle with content at the end of a removal process is oriented as well as if they were placed with the bottom wall 12 and the end wall 14 on a horizontal footprint.

The removal of defined amounts of liquid from the bottle according to FIG. 5 takes place as above with reference to the Figures 1-4 described.

After the bottle FIG. 6 For example, one of the dip tubes 48 has two rigid sections 76, 78 connected by an elastic tube section 80. This is curved in the unloaded state, and the other dip tubes are made of flexible material, so that the dip tube assembly normally the in FIG. 6 shown position occupies. In a container having a total of two l capacity, this position is chosen so that under the ends of the dip tubes still has a liquid volume of 1 liter.

In the dip tube 48, a rigid rod 82 is slidable, which has the shape of a cross in transverse cross-sectional view, remain between the longitudinal ribs axial fluid passages.

Push the rod 82 out of the in FIG. 6 shown position fully into the connecting piece 40, so he bends the dip tube 48 straight and the dip tube assembly receives the in FIG. 6 dashed geometry. In this, the bottle body 10 can again be completely sucked empty, as described above.

It is understood that 82 can be adjusted by only partially advancing the rod 82 intermediate positions of the ends of the dip tubes, so that the suctionable amount of liquid between the in FIG. 6 entered end positions of the dip tubes can be adjusted continuously. In order to be able to predefine the liquid volume which can then be leached off, the rod 82 can be provided with a corresponding scale, which is read off at the upper edge of the connecting piece 40.

At the in FIG. 6 In addition to the just described options for adjusting the amount of liquid dispensed, the bottle shown has additionally been described already in the preceding embodiments, which results from the selection of the standing surface. By combining both options, one can set an even greater number of fixed predetermined different amounts of liquid that can be sucked out of the container without visual control.

According to the embodiment FIG. 7 is one of the dip tubes 48 rigid and connected via a clamp 84 with a two-armed lever 86. Its bearing arm 88 is mounted via a pin 90 on a projection 92 of the support wall 40. A cranked actuating arm 94 of the lever 86 extends to the open side of the peripheral wall 30 out. The discharge-side end of the dip tube 48 is connected via a bellows 96 with the associated connecting piece 40. The other dip tubes are again designed as flexible hoses.

By pivoting the lever 86, the dip tube assembly can be put back into two end positions, of which the one in FIG. 7 by solid lines, the other is shown by dashed lines to specify two different volumes of liquid to be dispensed. It is understood that intermediate positions are again adjustable as with reference to FIG FIG. 6 described in detail. Also with regard to the additional modifiability of the predetermined liquid volumes by changing the footprint is to the comments too FIG. 6 directed.

Claims (14)

1. Container for delivering at least two predetermined volumes of liquid, comprising an immersion tube (48) which extends into the container interior, wherein means (12, 16) for changing the position of the immersion tube (48) relative to the level of the liquid contained in the container (10) in at least two positions are provided, wherein in the first of said positions the end of the immersion tube (48) rests such that after the aspiration of the liquid a first residual volume of liquid is left, and in the second position the end of the immersion tube (48) comes to rest such that after the aspiration of the liquid a second residual volume of liquid is left, wherein the first residual volume of liquid is greater than the second residual volume of liquid, characterised in that the means for setting the different positions of the container (10) comprise different standing surfaces (12, 16) of the container.
2. Container according to claim 1, characterised in that at least two of the different standing surfaces form substantially a right angle with one an-other.
3. Container for delivering at least two predetermined volumes of liquid, comprising an immersion tube (48) which extends into the container interior, wherein means (12, 16) for changing the position of the immersion tube (48) relative to the level of the liquid contained in the container (10) in at least two positions are provided, wherein in the first of said positions the end of the immersion tube (48) rests such that after the aspiration of the liquid a first residual volume of liquid is left, and in the second position the end of the immersion tube (48) comes to rest such that after the aspiration of the liquid a second residual volume of liquid is left, wherein the first residual volume of liquid is greater than the second residual volume of liquid, characterised in that the means for setting the different positions of the container (10) comprise different suspension (68, 70) points.
4. Container according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the end of the immersion tube (48) is located adjacent to a wall (14) of the container (10).
5. Container according to claim 4, characterised in that the wall (14) adjacent to the end of the immersion tube (48) is formed with a depression (56) which receives the end of the immersion tube (48).
6. Container according to one of the claims 1-5, characterised in that the immersion tube (48) and at least one further immersion tube (50) are combined at their free ends and are connected at their delivery ends by means of different fittings (40, 42, 44) .
7. Container according to one of the claims 1-6, characterised in that the delivery end of the immersion tube (48) is supported by a stopper part (28) which is placed releasably on a nozzle (26) of the container (10).
8. Container according to claim 7, characterised in that the stopper part (28) is screwed to the nozzle (26) of the container (10).
9. Container according to claim 7 in connection with claim 8, characterised in that the stopper part (28) comprises a peripheral wall (30) which projects axially beyond the different fittings (40, 42, 44) and which is hermetically sealable by a cap (38) .
10. Container according to claim 9, characterised in that the stopper part (28) is a plastics injection moulded part and the cap (38) is mounted on the peripheral wall (30) by means of an integral hinge (32).
11. Container according to claim 10, characterized in that the integral hinge (32) comprises two spaced hinge sections (34, 36).
12. Container according to one of the claims 6-11, characterised in that the stopper part (28) comprises at least one vent opening (54).
13. Container according to one of the claims 1, 2 and 4-12, characterised in that the container (10) comprises when viewed laterally a first standing wall (12) and a standing wall (14) which is longer than the first standing wall (12) and extends substantially perpendicular thereto, and a roughly quarter-elliptical wall (16) connecting the ends of both of these walls, which walls form together a peripheral wall of the container, the peripheral wall of the container being sealed by side walls (18, 20) which are convexly bowed (24) relative to the container, wherein the delivery end of the immersion tube (48) lies in the vicinity of the acute apex of the quarter-elliptical wall (16).
14. Container according to claim 13, characterised in that a reach-through opening (60) is formed adjacent to the obtuse apex of the part-elliptical wall (16).

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